At 41 years of age and 21 years into his career in the National Football League, it’s hard to expect a fully healthy season from Aaron Rodgers, even when the playoff aspirations of the Pittsburgh Steelers are on the line. Unfortunately, the ‘Unc Bowl’ rematch between Rodgers and his fellow veteran, Joe Flacco, was cut short when the former Green Bay Packer sustained a left-wrist injury in the first half of their Week 11 outing.
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With some help from the defense, backup quarterback Mason Rudolph was able to successfully manage the game from there, but he’ll be forced to shoulder a full load in Week 12 as Rodgers will now miss the first game of his tenure in Pittsburgh. Thankfully, the 30-year-old QB2 seems to have earned a full vote of confidence from the future Hall of Famer, as Rodgers suggested that he’s gotten to know Rudolph quite well throughout the past several months.
“He’s a troll,” Rodgers joked during his latest press scrum. “He makes every day so much fun. I told him this, I just said thanks for making this so much fun… We joke in the quarterback room. He’s got a checklist of the jokes that he’s got to get off of his brain every single day, but he’s hilarious and I really enjoy our time together here… He’s a great back up.”
While noting that he’s “thankful” for the way in which Rudolph approaches his obligations, Rodgers did suggest that Rudolph’s “type-A” personality results in him being “wound up tight.” However, even if Rudolph’s willingness to be “in tune” with the “details” is potentially stress inducing, it’s still necessary, and in the eyes of the former Super Bowl champion, it’s exactly what makes him a “good backup.”
The last time Rudolph was given starting reps, he was with the Tennessee Titans. Suffice to say, things didn’t go so well, but he’s now back home in Pittsburgh, and that should provide a notable boost to his passing metrics. In Tennessee, Rudolph was averaging a passer rating of 80.1 while completing 64% of his passes.
Transversely, throughout his last three starts with the Steelers, he was able to produce a passer rating of 118 while completing 74.3% of his throws. Considering that Pittsburgh’s offense has significantly improved since 2023, scoring at the 15th highest rate versus the 28th, Rudolph figures to have a decent chance heading into Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon.
Of course, Steelers fans are likely more concerned about the status of Rodgers’ wrist rather than the Chicago Bears. During his Wednesday press briefing he noted that “it feels better than it did Sunday, that’s for sure,” so at least the veteran appears to be headed in the right direction.
Nevertheless, Rodgers is ultimately pleading the fifth on this one, as he simply stated “It’s a safety thing” and that “I’m going to leave that up to Mr. Coach Tomlin.”
